Goth metal stars Within Temptation marry the guitar-driven force of hard rock
with the sweep and grandeur of symphonic music, and
the results have made them one of the most popular bands ever in the
Netherlands. Within Temptation were formed in 1996 by
guitarist Robert Westerholt and vocalist Sharon den Adel, who are partners on
stage and off. Within Temptation's early material
caught the attention of the Dutch label DSFA, and they signed the group to a
record deal; their first album, Enter, was released
in 1997. Up until this time, Within Temptation had been a studio project, but
the success of the album led to invitations to play
several live shows, including the Dynamo Music Festival, one of the biggest live
music events in the Netherlands. Within Temptation
demonstrated their strength as a concert act, and began playing Germany,
Austria, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. Booked to
play Dynamo's main stage in 1998, Within Temptation felt recording new material
was in order, and they released the Dance EP for the
occasion. Shortly afterwards, Within Temptation went on hiatus as the group's
members dealt with personal commitments and
Westerholt and den Adel built a studio for their ambitious recording projects.

In late 2000, Within Temptation returned with their second full-length album
(and first for Sony), Mother Earth, and the band
continued to appear at major music festivals in Europe and the Netherlands; the
album was a major commercial success, and the song
"Ice Queen" was released as a single, rising to number two on the Dutch charts.
After several years of steady touring (including
major festival appearances in France and Mexico), Within Temptation returned to
the studio to record their third album, 2004's The
Silent Force, an ambitious project featuring a full orchestra and 80-voice choir
accompanying the band. It was their first disc to be
released simultaneously in Europe and the Netherlands, and became a major
commercial success, going platinum at home and
reaching the Top Ten in Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Finland. Having become the
Netherlands' best-selling international act, Within
Temptation finally landed an American record deal with the venerable metal
imprint Roadrunner, and their fourth album is slated
for international release in early 2007.